From left to right: Jack Birch- Research Office Administrator, Diane McCarthy- Independent Governor, Professor Joe Yates- Vice Chancellor, Dr Simon Stewart- Dean of Faculty of Social and Life Sciences, Frances Thomason- Head of Research Services, Professor Mandy Robbins- Associate Dean for Research and Postgraduate Research Tutor.
Wrexham University have been given the power to award research degrees.
The university have been awarded Research Degree Awarding Powers (RDAP), which allows them to grant their own doctoral degrees for the first time since gaining university status in 2008.
The awarding of RDAP reinforces the University’s vision for delivering impactful, applied research that benefits communities and industry partners both regionally and globally.
Speaking about this recognition and what it means for the University, Professor Joe Yates, Vice-Chancellor, said: “Being granted Research Degree Awarding Powers marks a major milestone in the University’s evolution – and our ambition of being a world-leading, modern civic university that delivers skills and impactful research which will drive economic growth and innovation for the wellbeing of current and future generations.”
Professor Richard Day, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at Wrexham University, added: “This is an incredibly proud moment for our university and research community. It affirms that our processes for supervising and examining doctoral research meets the highest standards, as well as empowering us to design doctoral programmes that align with our strategic priorities and the needs of society.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank colleagues at the University of Chester for their fantastic support over the past decade, through providing research degree accreditation for our students, while we have been working towards gaining our own Research Degree Awarding Powers.”
Councillor Mark Pritchard said “This is fantastic news for Wrexham University, and I would like to offer my congratulations on this especially important milestone. This achievement really highlights the university’s role in supporting skills, innovation, and opportunities for our growing city.”
It comes after more than three years of rigorous assessment by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) which started on 1st September 2022.
Wrexham University’s first cohort of research students to receive degrees awarded under its own powers will start in 2026, symbolising a new era in the institution’s academic independence and contribution to the UK’s knowledge economy.
